How-To Geek
Changing these Google Maps settings instantly improved my morning commute
There is nothing more frustrating than trying to get to work or an appointment on time and being slowed down by things out of your control—or are they? By making a few small changes in Google Maps, you can help make your morning commute less of a headache.
5 new movies worth watching this week across Netflix, Prime Video, and more (March 23-29)
I don't know about you, but I love discovering a movie for the first time. There's something special about sitting down to watch a new film, knowing you only get one chance to experience that certain feeling. It's exciting.
Torrents, surveillance footage, and caches are filling your best SSD with garbage
At a time when expensive SSDs are, well, ridiculously expensive, using your best NVMe drive for trivial tasks feels even worse than it ever did before. And yet, many of us clutter those ultra-fast drives with apps that are wasting space and resources.
Stop buying smart home buttons–these NFC tags do the same thing for less than $1
Perfect automation is the ultimate goal for my smart home, but until I reach that point, there are times when I need to make things happen manually. I've used smart buttons in my home, but I often prefer NFC tags, which can do the job for a fraction of the price.
Stop guessing what’s slowing down Linux. Do this instead
With Linux, especially if you're new, it can be confusing when the operating system slows down—seemingly out of the blue. It can happen with any OS, but you might know how to pinpoint it on Windows, yet not Linux.
Wikipedia has banned AI-generated text, with two exceptions
Wikipedia, the beloved online encyclopedia, has debated for a while on how to handle the use of large language models (LLMs) in articles. Now, the practice is officially banned, save for a few exceptions in editing and translation.
Short-stroking was the hard drive hack that actually worked—until SSDs made it pointless
Back when SSDs were a distant future, and we were all using hard drives, there wasn't really much speed to choose other than 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm. So we had to rely on sloppy hacks and tricks to get our drives working faster. One common trick was short-stroking.
These 6 browser extensions are winning the war against invasive websites
The web began by empowering users, serving us with static content that could be repurposed and tailored to whichever device was in use. But, slowly, websites have wrestled back control, enforcing their own preferences for style and behavior.
Switching to Linux saves you money in more way than one
While mobile devices are fine for chatting, reading, and watching, sometimes you need a real computer to get work done. But, it's become expensive to keep Windows PC up to date. Switching to Linux means you can keep using your old PC, and save money in other ways, too.
5 trending Prime Video movies to watch this week (March 23 - March 29)
Alas, spring has sprung, and as we roll through this last week of March, we’re doing so with some of the trending movies on Amazon Prime Video this week.
I’m so glad I gave this unique Android launcher a second chance
Niagara Launcher is famous for reinventing the Android home screen. I love the concept, but I’ve never been able to fully stick with it. Recently, I decided to install Niagara again, and this time it feels different for a few reasons.
I bought this oddball Ryobi tool on a whim, and now I use it all the time
Power tool brands offer a wide range of tools and accessories, giving us more choices than ever these days. Big names like Ryobi and Milwaukee make all the common items, like drills and drivers, but they also make some tools you've probably never heard of. Earlier this year, I bought an oddball Ryobi "bucket top" tool on a whim, and now I wish I had one sooner.
Forget bare metal: Why a hypervisor is the only way to run a professional homelab
Are you still running your servers with Linux installed bare metal? It’s time to upgrade and move to a hypervisor, especially if you want to start working toward a more professional homelab.
Why Airbnb hosts can see everything you do online (and how a $30 router stops them)
Most of the time when you stay at an AirBnB, some kind of Wi-Fi is included. However, you have no control over the security settings and you may run into restrictions on how many or what kind of devices you can connect.
The most useful Home Assistant sensor in my house isn’t a sensor at all
I have a lot of smart home sensors in my home. However, one of my most useful sensors isn't actually a real sensor at all. It doesn't exist as a physical device; it's a virtual sensor living inside Home Assistant.
This open-source Windows tool converts files instantly from the right-click menu
You download a file from the internet only to discover that it isn't in the format you need. Your editing programs don't like it, the thumbnail isn't displaying properly, and what is a WebP anyway? Thanks to an open-source project, you can now instantly convert most common media files by simply right-clicking them.
Jeep brought back an iconic SUV—but only as a hybrid
Automakers often revive iconic nameplates to tap into nostalgia, bringing back familiar designs with modern updates. But in today’s market, those revivals increasingly come with electrified powertrains rather than traditional engines. One of Jeep’s most recognizable SUVs has returned under exactly those conditions, blending heritage styling with a very different kind of technology under the hood.
Early cell phones used a dangerous file storage method that wouldn't fly today
If you dig an old smartphone out of a drawer and plug it in, you can usually expect it to power on and be largely how you left it. That's not the case with many older phones, despite how rugged many of us recall them being. Even if they do come on, you may find that many of your fond memories are gone.
High availability is the homelabbing trick everyone should know about
Downtime is the enemy of any homelab—mine especially. So, I finally decided to do something about it and made my homelab highly available. I only was able to do that because I already knew about it, so, if you’ve never heard of high availability, here’s why you should know about this unique trick.
I turned a Raspberry Pi into a speed tracker, and now I know exactly when my ISP is lying
The internet is a vital part of daily life, and you should get the speeds you pay for. This is a quick and easy way to turn a Raspberry Pi into an internet speed monitor so you can be sure you can know for a fact if your ISP is ripping you off.


